Combating Fear
by leavethisblank
Summary: Nightmares are scary. Especially nightmares with no one to save you from. To combat your own fear, what do you need? Horrible stuff inside! Includes Boggarts and nightmares and confessions and, oh! HUGS? [Oneshot, LJ]


_This is dedicated to: My friends in school; we'll be splitting classes and this may be my form of thank you to you all. Especially Jelly, Mishie and Insane. This is also for turquoiseteardrop, who spurred me onto this. (I say, if you manage to get your name onto my dedications, you just have to be somebody important to me.)_

**Disclaimer: Not mine. J.K. Rowling's work.**

And onto the story. :D

* * *

_She was running again. Her seemingly endless footsteps were reverberating throughout the entire corridor. The thumping of her heart broke the steady rhythm of her running. She was afraid._

More terrified than the time she faced off that Boggart by herself -- not too long ago. She did not even want to talk about that incident. James Potter had led her away gingerly when she stood rooted to the ground, stunned with terror. He was one of the few students who were there at that time. The rest of the Gryffindors were all confused and too bewildered to lend her a helping hand.

And then she was in an empty classroom, crying on James' shoulder. He was petting her, consoling her soothingly. "It's okay, Lily, I'm here." He had laughed together with her when she dried her tears and he told her that his Boggart was the Minister of Magic declaring that Quidditch was banned. Of course, it wasn't, but he just did it to cheer her up. She knew he was lying through his teeth for she had seen his Boggart once last year, however, taking into the fact that she badly needed someone to lean on and to comfort her right now, she kept quiet about it. She wondered what James' real Boggart meant. Consideration for his feelings made her refrain from asking. Moreover, she did not want to admit that she was afraid of what his reply would be. She had a tiny inkling that it would not be good.

_The shadow behind her was getting closer, and more enormous by the second. She knew it wasn't a troll; trolls didn't move this rapidly. And this fear of the unknown made her heart palpitate and cold sweat ooze out of every single one of her pores. The unknown was like the darkness in front of her, frosty and clammy, as if it would be a black hole, swallowing up everything that ever existed. The mystery that surrounded the indefinite was what she dreaded._

_She picked up speed and tried desperately to sprint forwards, get further, get away._

_Her limbs wouldn't obey. The running caused her breath to come out as wheezing, and she really needed to catch her breath. The single solitary thought that pounded through her mind continuously was: When will he come?_

_For the past few times this had happened, he would come, as always, at the precise moment when she thought there was no hope left. When the darkness advanced stealthily upon her, he would come gallantly, on his noble steed. And sweep her off her feet._

_Her knight in shining amour._

She wasn't the type to fantasize about a knight coming to rescue her from the dragons, or whatever it was that happened in fairytales. She just wasn't that kind that would drool over Sirius Black and his boyish good looks. Half the female population was considered under there, but not she. Thus, there was no reason why she would eagerly anticipate a person's arrival.

_Why isn't he here?_

_She was worried. The unease was clambering all over her. Why was he still not here?_

_A low menacing growl came from behind._

_Her breath caught in her throat as she turned, and she started to run. How much longer could she go on? Her stomach was hurting, she felt queasy and the start of a headache coming along. Her lungs pleaded for air, but the terror that no one would be here this time drove her on._

_

* * *

She could not take it anymore and she collapsed into a corner. _

_She was left facing the beast, alone. Panic and fear was coursing through her veins._

_And then it pounced._

**_ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

* * *

_**

Lily woke up with a jolt, drenched in sweat. Her heart was still thumping in her chest and her eyes had the look of raw crazed fear. Her shiny auburn hair was messed up (in a way that would rival James', she thought wryly afterwards) and before she knew it, she was crying.

And the next thing that occurred took her by surprise.

_James Potter rushed into her room._

She could barely register what she'd seen, she was still shivering. He immediately sat on the side of her bed, warm arms reaching out for her, cradling her, holding her close to him so that she would stop shivering. A subconscious thought floated into her mind: _This is James Potter, what are you doing so near to him, Lily? In his arms, no less._

But then the rest of her emotions broke like a dam; the walls couldn't even hold back the barrage of emotions and she was just sobbing, sobbing again on James' shoulder. She didn't even realize how wrong this was, if anything like this happened in fifth year…the consequences would be quite terrible. For James, that is.

But it wasn't fifth year anymore, was it? This year was quite different in many many aspects. Furthermore, something like this--having James in such close quarters at her most vulnerable state--happened once before, and at that time, she was the one to realize that she was in James' company and then excused herself with a pitiable apology that her Transfiguration homework wasn't finished (when he had helped her with the wristwork just the day before and made sure she got the whole routine right).

Her mind was turning incoherent. She wondered miserably why her knight actually let her down and didn't come to her rescue this time. She wasn't even half aware of the surroundings, probably the extreme distress had gotten to her, however, the steady rhythm that was James' hand stroking her hair was calming and it was the only thing she could make sense of.

Murmuring gently, Y_ou're fine now, Lily, I'm here_, the soothing voice coupled with his steady heartbeat made her heartbeat gradually go back to normal and so she continued resting her head on to his chest, listening out for his heartbeat.

Her shivering had stopped, his tanned arms around her waist were radiating body heat and she felt very warm and secure in that instant.

She gave a tiny hiccough and ended the tears. James' arm instantly tucked one strand of hair behind her ear and lifted her face up to meet his.

"There, there, it's over now. Are you feeling better?" His concerned face met her rather timid one and his hands, roughened up with Quidditch (she assumed), gently brushed away her tears.

She sat up abruptly, and edged a little further from him. It wouldn't do for people to find that she had been in James Potter's hug, and she felt like she was doing something wrong. She started, "Um, James—can you…"

He glanced up at her, and, was that…was that hurt she saw?

He got up noiselessly, and turned his back on her, preparing to leave. His head was bowed down, and it was difficult to distinguish his expression. "I'm very sorry, Lily, having intruded upon you, I'll go now." His voice sounded a little faint, as though he was having a sore throat.

As he neared the doorway, Lily, in a fit of impulsive resolve, suddenly blurted out, "I…I just wanted you to tell me about your Boggart!"

That did it. He stopped in his tracks, and turned so quickly that he almost cricked his neck, his untamable black hair whipping across his face, which obscured his eyes a little. Very pretty hazel eyes, with flecks of gold in it. But the things that ran deep inside them were unfathomable. _Wait—how did I…_

"I thought I told you…the Minister of Magic declaring that Quidditch was banned?"

The look in her eyes was terribly reminiscent of Professor McGonagall when Sirius calls her by one of the informal pet names he always loves tormenting her with.

James gulped. What was he getting himself into this time? Hot soup, no doubt. He sort of licked his lips at the thought of food. Lily, looking so positively attractive, and brimming with frustration and annoyance was perhaps, another cause.

She looked at him bizarrely. "Not that, James." She said quietly.

He went speechless for eons. Finally he managed to reply, "I...I…what?" Considering that his throat seemed to have been obstructed by a mass of immovable material, this was no mean feat. The plethora of expressions that were on his face made it difficult to discern his real emotions.

He sank back down onto her bed, palms in face, looking extremely overwhelmed and distressed. Gathering all stray thoughts, he finally looked up. He averted his gaze, focusing on a speck of dust on the wall. _This is horrible,_ he thought.

"You've seen it?" He questioned tentatively.

She gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head.

_Oh Merlin! _He ran a hand through his hair, worrying.

"Well, it's because, you know, stress from N.E.W.Ts and…um…Head Boy duties," he ventured tentatively.

Lily sighed. "Just tell me, please." Then she added as an afterthought, "Or I'll hex you."

"You know it as well as I do! I really don't want to say it, and it's weighing on me ever since we were in fifth year! Did you know that my Defense Against The Dark Arts O.W.L examiner was totally freaked out when he saw my Boggart turn into a girl lying dead in a pool of blood?" He gasped, and then clapped a hand to his mouth.

_Sorry, I was too tactless,_ he wanted to say, but it never escaped his lips.

Because just then, Lily grabbed him and enveloped him in a great bear hug.

"So the thing you feared most was of me dying? How silly of you!" She chuckled.

"I'll have you know that's not silly at all, Miss Evans! It's because I care for you, that's why!" He retorted. "It's not anymore sillier than fearing loneliness and of no one being around you!"

"Fine. You win for once."

* * *

James' Boggart was of her dying. It was a morbid and perhaps grotesque thought, but Lily somehow didn't feel repulsed in the least. 

Her own Boggart was just…plain weird. She feared being alone, and her Boggart always turned into darkness that enclosed her, making her feel claustrophobic.

This time round, she had her own knight in shining amour to rescue her from the unknown. He didn't come in her nightmare, but he still did appear in the end.

* * *

**Author's note: This one-shot took me ages, and it all stemmed from a weird dream I had. Didn't expect it to be so long, but I dug it out from my folder and got it over and done with, so I'm pleased with myself. :) Sorry if it didn't make a lot of sense, I had a bit of a problem putting all my ideas together…and I'm not too confident about my writing ability.**

**Please review; I'll really appreciate it. :) (Cookies goes to those who review!)**


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